Golf cart



y 1963 w. J. FRITSCH 3,096,992

GOLF CART Filed Dec. 19, 1960 INVENTOR.

W J. FR ITSCH 3,096,992 GOLF CART Wallace J. Fritsch, 1609 S. 33rd St.,Omaha, Nehr. Filed Dec. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 76,676 1 Claim. (Cl.280-4751) This invention relates to golf bag carriers or carts of thesingle wheel, and single hand actuated type, and in particular a carrierincluding a shaft having a handle on the upper end, a wheel on the lowerend, golf bag retaining elements on the intermediate part, and a pair oflegs loosely mounted on the shaft with the legs guided and actuated tofolded positions by an elastic element.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a golf bag carrier that isof simple construction and relatively light weight so that it mayreadily be manipulated by a comparatively small person.

Carts of various designs have been used for carrying golf bags. However,substantially all carts for golf bags are made with two wheels, andbeing of collapsible construction, are comparatively heavy. For thisreason considerable energy is required to use a conventional golf bagcarrier, and, consequently, golf is very tiresome for the averagegolfer.

With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a golf bag carrierof simple construction and having comparatively few moving parts wherebyvery little weight is added to a conventional golf bag, and wherein agolf bag may be pushed or pulled with very little effort.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to simplify the design of agolf bag cart so that the cart may be manipulated with ease.

Another object of the invention is to provide a golf bag carrier thatoccupies very little space in a motor vehicle.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a golf bagcarrier that may be operated by one hand.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a golf bag carrierhaving diverging legs in which the legs are snapped to collapsedpositions by an elastic element upon raising the handle of the carrier.

In view of the fact that golf bags are provided in different lengths, itis also an object of this invention to provide a golf bag carrier inwhich the length is readily adjustable so that the carrier may be usedfor golf bags of different sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a golf bag carrierhaving a single wheel and a pair of legs in which the legs areindependently actuated to compensate for the uneven surface of a golfcourse.

A still further object is to provide a golf bag carrier in which themain portion of the frame is below the golf bag, thereby placing thecenter of gravity of the golf bag off of the center line between thehandle and the axle of the single wheel.

in addition to the above the invention includes:

A golf bag stand having a pair of legs in which the legs automaticallyretract to a ground clearing position upon release of the weight beingcarried on the stand and in which the legs will automatically expand intwo directions, laterally and longitudinally to open positions, formingan A type stand, by contacting one leg of the stand with the ground andpushing or pulling the stand a sutficient distance to extend the otherleg.

A golf bag carrier in which the load is carried on top of the supportingmembers in transit.

A golf bag carrier in which the load is positioned on top of thesupporting members while the carrier is in the free standing position.

A golf bag carrier in which the load is supported on top of thesupporting member in such a manner that the "ice center of gravity ofthe load is below the handle in transit and while in the standingposition.

A two-legged golf bag stand of the A-type which is provided with acombination guide and stop mechanism to control the lateral andlongitudinal motion of each, or both of the legs throughout the totaltravel of such leg or legs from the retracted to an extended position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a golf bag carrier inwhich the center of gravity of the load is positioned to obtain themaximum of stability of the carrier.

A particular object is to provide a carrier which can be used forcarrying bags or other loads of any kind whereby, in this sense, theabove objectives related to a golf bag or a golf bag stand also apply toa carrier for a load other than a golf bag and having features of thisinvention.

A further object is to provide a carrier which can be moved from a firstposition in which it is pulled across the ground to a second position inwhich it is self-supported upon its leg means and upon its wheel withouthe necessity during such movement of passing the upper end of the framepast the vertical position as has been a characteristic of such carriersin the prior art; thus eliminating the need for lifting the weight of abag and contents along with the frame in accomplishing this change ofposition.

A still further object is to provide a golf bag carrier which is of asimple and economical construction.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description, drawings andclaims, the scope of the invention not being limited to the drawingsthemselves as the drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating away in which the principles of this invention can be applied.

Other embodiments of the invention utilizing the same or equivalentprinciples may be used and structural changes may be made as desired bythose skilled in the art without departing from the present inventionand the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the improved golf bag carrier,showing one of the legs in a partially folded position in broken lines.

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on line 22 of FIG- URE 1, looking upwardly,with the parts shown on an enlarged scale, and with parts broken away.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, with theparts shown on an enlarged scale, illustrating the connection of thelegs to a shaft of the carrier.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view taken on line 4--4 of FIGURE 1, showingthe wheel mounting at the lower end of the shaft of the golf bagcarrier.

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theabove-referred-to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merelyfor the purpose of illustration and that various changes in constructionmay be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that theinvention may be utilized to the best advantage according tocircumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from thespirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only inaccordance with the appended claims. And while there is stated theprimary field of utility of the invention it remains obvious that it maybe employed in any other capacity wherein it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, thesame reference characters are used to designate the same parts andelements throughout, and in which the numeral lil refers to theinvention in its entirety, numeral 12 indicating a shaft for retainingthe parts in assembled relation, legs pivotally mounted on a U-shapedbracket 18, numeral a bearing for mounting the bracket 18 on the shaft12, numeral 22 a hub mounted on the shaft 12 and from which guides 24and 26, having elongated slots 28 and 30 therein, extend, numeral 32 ayoke for connecting an elastic member 34 to the bracket 18, numeral '36a hook for connecting the elastic member to the shaft 12, and numeral 38a base in which the lower end of the shaft is mounted and which alsoprovides means for mounting a wheel 40 on the lower end of the carrier.

The shaft 12 extends from the upper surface 42 of the base upwardly andthe upper portion is provided with an offset section 44 from which ahandle carrying stem 46 extends and the upper end of the stem isprovided with a knob 48 providing a handle.

The bracket 18 is pivotally mounted in a hub 50 of the bearing 20, andthe bearing is secured, such as by welding, to the shaft 12. The bracketis provided with arms 52 and 54 that extend through hubs 56 and 58 onupper ends of the legs 14. and 16, respectively, and, as illustrated bythe broken lines 60 in FIGURE 1, the legs are free to swing inwardly tonested or folded positions. The upper ends of the legs extend throughthe guide slots 28 and 30 by which the legs are retained in operativepositions. The hub 22, from which the guides 24 and 26 extend is securedto .the shaft by welding or the like.

The lower end of one :of the legs is provided with a prong 62 that mayreadily be pressed into the ground to provide an anchor for retainingthe legs in spaced relation, whereby three points of support areprovided. Upon lifting the handle 48 the prong 62 is withdrawn from theground and the legs are snapped inwardly by the elastic member 34, theupper end of which is attached to the yoke 32 by an S hook 64. Ends 66.and 68 of the yoke are secured to the ends of the arms 52 and 54 byriveting over the ends of the arms to provide heads 70 and 72.-

The base 38 on the lower end of the shaft 12 is provided with abifurcated portion providing side walls 74 and 76 between which thewheel 40* is mounted by the axle '78 on the ends of which nuts 80 arethreaded. The upper surface of the base is provided with a semi-circularrecess 82 in which .a collar 84 on the lower end of a golf bag 86 isretained by a band 88, ends 90 of which are retained in sockets '92 ofthe base. a

The upper end of the golf bag is retained in position on the shaft by astrap 94 having a buckle 96 therein, and theends of the strap aresecured to loops 98 extended from a set collar 100, which is retained inadjusted positions on the shaft to compensate for golf bags of different7 lengths, by a set screw 102.

With the parts assembled as illustrated and described, and with lowerends of the legs free, the legs are retained in nested positions on thelower side of the golf bag, whereby the carrier may be transported overa golf course,

numerals 14 and 16 indicating or to a suitable position for teeing off,and with the carrier in such position the leg with the prong in thelower end is pressed downwardly, forcing the prong into the ground. Withthe prong penetrating the ground the carrier is moved forwardly to theposition shown in FIGURE 1, and with the parts in this position theupper end of the carrier may be moved laterally for positioning theother leg in spaced relation to the leg anchored by the prong. TheWeight of the carrier may then be dropped upon the said other leg, andthe carrier will be rigidly supported at three points.

To move the carrier it is only necessary to raise the handle whereby thelower ends of the legs are released and the legs are free to be actuatedto nested positions against the lower surface of the bag or shaft by theelastic member 34.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a golfbag carrier constructed in accordance with my invention is particularlywell adapted for use, by reason of the convenience and facility withwhich it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious thatmy invention is susceptible of some change and modifications withoutdeparting from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason Ido not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precisearrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carryingout my invention in practice, except as claimed.

Having now described the invention that which is claimed to be new anddesired to be procured by Letters Patent, is:

In a golf bag cart, the combination which comprises a frame having anoffset upper end providing a handle, a guide including diverging armswith slots therein extended from a hub mounted on the frame, a U-shapedbracket pivotally mounted by a bearing on the frame and positioned abovethe guide, legs extended through the slots in the arms of the guide andpivotally mounted on 'arms of the bracket, a yoke extended from ends ofthe arms of the bracket, a hook positioned on the shaft and locatedbelow the guide, an elastic member attached to the hook and yoke foractuating the legs to retracted positions, an anchoring prong extendedfrom the lower end of one of the legs, a base mounted on the lower endof the frame, a wheel rotatably mounted in said base, a band on the basefor retaining the lower end of a golf bag on the base, and a straphaving a buckle therein adjustably mounted on the frame for retainingthe upper end of a golf bag in position on the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,638,794 Aldrich Aug. 9, 1927 2,476,718 Foley July 19, 1949 2,613,952Lannon Oct. 14, 1952 2,857,168 'Neaverson et al Oct. 21, 1958

